Public Opinion: Measuring the American Mind

Barbara Bardes, co-author of the best selling AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS TODAY, and Robert Oldendick, Director of the Survey Research Laboratory at the University of South Carolina, provide students with the tools to explore the formation, variation, and impact of public opinion. Part Two of PUBLIC OPINION: MEASURING THE AMERICAN MIND is devoted to the issues and methods of polling, including polling in political campaigns and the goals of organizations that commission and conduct polls. With a discussion of the history of public opinion, as well as an analysis of the public's views on a range of current issues, this text combines a comprehensive study of the field with real-world relevance. The text is designed for use in Public Opinion courses but would be an excellent supplemental or core text in any Communications, Sociology, or Political Psychology course.